They'll Never Know
by Vanity-Sky
Summary: They'll never know. High School is all about appearances after all. They'll never know what chemistry/book nerd Shiro and popular girl/cheerleader Allura do when they're alone. They'll never know. Shallura.


AN: After seeing _**millennium-queen**_ 's fan art of a nerdy Shiro and a cheerleader Allura – I couldn't help but to be inspired by it. Beautiful art! I hope y'all enjoy!

Here's a little one-shot as I take a short break from writing my current Shallura fic – _Apartment 119_.

Summary: They'll never know. High School is all about appearances after all. They'll never know what chemistry/book nerd Shiro and popular girl/cheerleader Allura do when they're alone. They'll never know. Shallura.

Ps. I left this a bit vague but I guess this is more of a modern au.

Happy reading~ :D

They'll Never Know

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Senior year.

"Hey Cutie, will you sign my yearbook?" a voice as sweet as honey asked him from behind as he stood by his locker.

They'll never know how the nickname tingled down his spine and sent shivers to his soul. Sure, she called everyone endearing nicknames but _'Cutie'_ was meant for only him and his ears alone.

He was about to turn around and gladly accept her yearbook when he paused.

Someone else had walked to her side, laughing in such a teasing high-pitched manner that caused him to shrink back into the wall, "Omg! Allura, what are you doing talking to that nerd! Let's go, we're gonna be late for practice!" the second voice said with no filter or care for his feelings.

He rolled his eyes, he was used to this.

Just a few more weeks of this hell and he'd be finally free from all the judgmental, superficial faces around him.

Allura looked at him longingly, her blues eyes apologetic as she was whisked away with her friend. He briefly managed to touch her hand as she left. "Ezor, you don't have to be so rude!" he heard her harshly whisper, lecturing her friend as she walked away.

With an index finger, he adjusted his glasses and fetched his chemistry books from his locker before closing it. He knew that she'd make it up to him later. There was no way that he'd miss the chance to write something personal in her yearbook even though he knew it wasn't necessary.

The bell hadn't rung yet but he liked being early to class.

"Takashi, you're early as usual"

"Early bird catches the worm" he cheerfully smiled at his teacher.

He was right in more ways than one.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Freshman year.

"Hmm… alright class. Time to pair you guys up. First up: Takashi Shirogane and Ms. Allura will be paired up for the crystal experiment" the chemistry teacher announced.

Around him, he could hear giggles erupt from the girls and a couple of guys. He heavily sighed. He worked so hard to not get noticed by anyone the entire school year and now he was stuck with the most popular girl in school. He wanted to bang his head against his desk but he wouldn't give his classmates a show. After all, a nerd wasn't allowed to lose his temper. It wasn't in his stereotype's job description.

"May I sit here?" he heard a kind voice ask him before she pulled the empty seat right next to him and sat down. No one ever sits with him.

He said nothing and just stared at her as he moved his pile of books further to his side.

She was gorgeous and so, so, so, very out of his league.

"I'm Allura, it's a pleasure to meet you" she said, extending her hand to shake his.

He hesitated as he had a prosthetic right arm. Another reason why no one ever sat with him or even talked to him. He was considered a freak.

She didn't wait until he gave her his hand and took it instead, earning some gasps and whispering from students surrounding them.

"Regardless of what they say, I'm not afraid of you. A person without their uniqueness is a person lacking originality" she said as she gently shook his hand and smiled at him.

He continued to stay silent, surprised by how true the rumors were. She was ethereal in every sense of the word. She was popular but sweet to everyone. The only mystery to her was that she was still single.

"Now shall we get started? I do believe we require magnesium sulfate, hot tap water, food coloring, and a beaker!" she read through the ingredients, dancing in her seat. "Oh, I do love crystals. I'm looking forward to how they'll turn out in a few days from now" she continued speaking as he eyed her perfectly lip-glossed lips.

"Shiro" he spoke.

"Pardon?"

"My name. You can call me Shiro"

"Oh! Like a nickname, right? I like that" she warmly smiled at him.

He was mesmerized by her.

And as the days of working together came to an end, they decided to meet up after school in the science lab to make sure that their crystals were fully formed.

The sun was setting, casting shadows inside the room. Allura was wearing her black cheerleading uniform which was accented with red, blue, yellow, and green thick stripes on the skirt and a thick v-shaped blue stripe on the shirt.

"Here, don't forget your lab coat" Shiro reminded her as he held a coat out for her to slip her slender arms through.

Allura playfully shook her head at this, "isn't this a bit much?"

Shiro gave her a look, "c'mon, get in the spirit of science"

"Fine, fine" she giggled as she slipped her arms over the lab coat.

She blushed when she felt the heat coming from their close proximity.

Shiro adjusted the sleeves of his purple long sleeved shirt, rolling them up along with the white sleeves from the white coat. He wore a purple argyle sweater vest over his shirt, black slacks with suspenders and his usual glasses.

Over the brief time that they had gotten to know each other, Shiro slowly started to relax around her as he learned that Allura was quite the science protégé. She had brains and beauty and he still wondered why she even bothered wanting to get to know him.

As they took a peek at their experiment, the rays of the setting sun shone right through the glass window panes of the room causing their galaxy themed crystals to shine and sparkle.

"Oh, they're beautiful!" Allura gasped in awe as she carefully held one in her hands.

Shiro took one glance at her, bewitched by her beauty.

"Are you made of Copper and Tellurium?" he blurted out, not realizing what he had said until he said it.

Allura tilted her head at him, "I sure hope not" she giggled at his unusual question.

"You sure? Because I think you are Cu-Te" he smoothly said. He had already slipped up, might as well just go with it.

This caused Allura to snort and cover her mouth as she blushed, laughing.

"I'm sorry, that was in the spur of the moment. It was… stupid" he awkwardly coughed, tugging on the collar of his shirt.

Allura's eyes twinkled in delight as she placed the crystal down and took his hand into hers, lightly squeezing his left, "don't ever change, Takashi, I think you're a _Cutie_ " she told him, saying his full name. She had never called him Takashi before.

This time, it was his turn to blush.

Little did he know, he had just started a chain reaction. A blossoming romance loomed in the air.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Sophomore year.

Another year and another chance to get paired up for a project.

This time Shiro was waiting for Allura inside the school's library for a history project. Allura didn't need his help in any school subject as she held the highest grade-point average in their grade. Just like he didn't need her help either, having the second highest GPA in class but it was still fun getting to work with her on school assignments, spend time together in school, and divulge in a secret they've had ever since the previous summer.

There weren't many students in during lunch period but still enough to the point where he heard people whispering, "freak", "hey tin-man", and his personal favorite, "hey robo-arm"

It was none of their business whether he had a prosthetic arm or not. Whether the tuft of white hair with the undershave hairstyle he sported was just a temporary phase or not. Whether he really needed glasses to see or not. Nothing about his appearance was their business.

Only to Allura.

"Hi! Sorry I'm late!" Allura briskly made her way towards him, earning waves and small passing chit-chat from students sitting at nearby tables instead of shushes to be quiet as she sat down across Shiro.

Again, she was in her cheerleading uniform and he, like usual was sporting nice slacks, suspenders, a nice long sleeved shirt and an argyle patterned sweater vest – his personal choice of fashion.

Shiro smiled, shaking his head as he set his book on quantum mechanics down. "Not at all, we still have plenty of time to go over the history of Daibazaal and Altea"

Allura set her black glittery pom-poms on the table, placing a free hand over her chest and sighed, relieved, "That's good to hear. I promise I'll have a word with Ezor and Axca about letting me leave practice a few minutes early next time. I can't afford to get a 'B' on this history test. Thank you, Shiro, for helping me study" she said loud enough for any eavesdroppers to hear as she secretively lowered her hand underneath the table to hold his.

Shiro nodded, nonchalantly as he gently rubbed circles on the top of her hand. Opening his textbook, he pinpointed the highlighted parts and bookmarks he placed in each section they'd need. It was a bit of a challenge when one of his hand was currently occupied but he made do as he began to ask her questions.

Halfway into their session, he let go of her hand so they could jot down notes. Allura was focused on writing down side commentary on her notebook to remind her of the few questions on Daibazaal that she was unsure of while Shiro used this silent moment to write and pass her a note.

Snapping out of her focus, she raised an eyebrow and casually read the note until she jolted in her seat for a brief moment. She had hoped that he didn't see that but he did. Allura tried to keep her composure as she neatly folded the piece of paper, setting it to her side as she continued on with her work but Shiro knew. He had made her blush.

 _Do you have 11 protons? 'Cause you're Sodium fine!_

Thirty minutes later, the bell had rung for their next class. Luckily, they both had a free period this semester and as they were left alone, Allura smirked, taking advantage of the students scurrying to leave the library to make it on time to their class.

Taking her giant history book, she opened it as wide as she could and grabbed Shiro by his adorable sweater vest and pulled him forward to lock lips with him.

This caused Shiro's eyes to widened as he embarrassingly moaned at the feeling of his lips on hers.

It wasn't their first kiss but it sure did feel like it.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Junior year.

They'll never know that behind her pretty face was the face of a warrior. Allura had known her fair share of pain, had known what it meant to be the outcast, had known what it meant to be privileged.

To be superficial and just go with the flow, regardless of other's feelings or the consequences of one's actions – to her, that's what it meant to have an ugly heart.

And that's all she's ever seen in her three years of public high school at Galaxy Garrison High.

She could not tolerate bullying and that's all she ever saw when she walked through the halls of her schools.

She seemed controversial because apparently, someone with as much popularity as she wasn't allowed to be genuinely kind and caring to her fellow peers. She never got the memo on being a bitch.

People who had known her since middle school, the time where people wanted to experience dating, wondered why she was single and had still continued to be 'single' into her junior year of high school.

They'll never know about the 'nerd' with a heart of gold that lend her a shoulder to cry on whenever the pain of losing her father would suffocate her late at nights. They'll never know about the young man who knew his share of trauma and pain – the very one who hides his nose under books and tries to blend into the wall in the back of the classroom. The young man who had lost his arm during warring times. The young man with scars on his body. The young man, who despite being broken and considered disabled, was the most complete and wholesome person she's ever known.

They'll never know of the one who stole her heart, held it within his palms, and promised to never let go.

He cherished, he adored, he loved her.

And she to him.

It was another late afternoon in an empty science lab. The sun's orangey-yellow rays casting a dim shadow in the room as she sat on top of the sink counter, legs crossed, with her torso facing the nerd who was leaning over the table in front of her view with a dropper in one hand and a traditional number 2 pencil in the other. On the table he had several water samples while some were dyed in individual beakers.

"Are you almost done checking the pH balances?" she asked as she frowned at the time on the red clock mounted on the wall.

She heard him chuckle as he set the dropper inside a clean beaker. He quickly jotted a note down on his clipboard before taking off his blue latex gloves.

"Impatient, now aren't we?" he smirked.

Allura gave him a look as if saying, 'do you really need to ask', "I live with my Uncle Coran who gives me an early curfew, remember?"

Shiro closed the gap between them as he stood right in front of her, silently he took off his glasses giving her a clear view of his darkening gray eyes. Setting them aside, with his taller height, he leaned over her side to whisper into her ear.

"My hypothalamus must be secreting serotonin because baby, I _want_ you" he said in such a sensual way that it sent shivers down her spine. She thought that after all this time knowing him, would she get used to his cheesy chemistry pick-up lines but they still made her _swoon_.

She shuddered when she felt his teeth lightly graze over her earlobe and sucked down the side of her neck. She shut her eyes and leaned her head back in pleasure as he nipped at her neck, leaving a noticeable small mark on her otherwise smooth toffee skin.

At the moment, she cursed the v-cut shape of her cheerleading uniform. She already knew she's not going to hear the end of it from Ezor and Axca. Those two were like honing bees, waiting to sting with an onslaught of questions as to whom was her mystery man.

Allura was going to reprimand Shiro later but for now, from clawing at the countertop, she needed to keep her hands distracted as she started to run her fingers through his hair.

She was _so_ glad that he had taken off his glasses growing excited to what's to come but just as quickly whimpering at the loss of contact for a brief second. She was about to open her eyes to sneak at glance at what Shiro was doing until she felt him gently hold her chin up before he crashed his lips with hers fervently.

She moaned at the power of dominance held in his gentle hands that made her feel secure. He didn't even need to ask when she voluntarily let him slip his tongue him. Their tango began as she wrapped her legs over his torso smiling into their kiss as he tickled her, causing her to laugh.

Oh gods, did she love him.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Senior year.

"Hey Cutie, will you sign my yearbook?" she asked him again behind the football bleachers during their lunch break.

Shiro smirked, nodding as he took her pink feathered pen from her and opened the book. Gesturing for her to turn around, she rolled her eyes in good spirits as she allowed him to use her back as support.

"You're hotter than a bunsen burner set to full power. Have a great summer, love Shiro" he told her out loud what he was writing as she felt the vibration of his hand stop.

Turning around she thanked him and looked at the neat cursive left in the corner of a page. He had drawn a bunsen burner with heart shapes for flames around what he wrote.

"You're such a chem dork!" she giggled as she punched his left arm.

Shiro stuck his tongue at her and quickly snatched her yearbook out of her hands.

"Hey!" she complained as she tried jumping to reach it over his head. When she gave up on trying, she failed to realize that he had switched their positions and had her standing against one of the steel support beams of the bleachers.

"Do you like Science?" he casually asked her and she knew _exactly_ where this was going.

"Oh boy, here we go again" she acted like she was annoyed but the truth is, she loved his cheesy pick-up lines.

"Because I've got my ion you" he softly said so only she could hear.

Tugging on her skirt, he pulled her closer to him as he leaned down to capture her lips with his. He was still holding onto her yearbook high above his head as he felt her try to reach for it. "Don't even try" he said around her lips as he pecked them.

"But" kiss, "it's" kiss, "mine" she said through kisses.

"So is this" he told her as he straightened up so he could open the middle of her yearbook.

On the opened section was a bookmark divider with a medium sized pink heart cut out of construction paper taped onto the page.

"My heart" he told her.

Allura's eyes brimmed with happy tears. Taking the yearbook, she dropped it on to the grass somewhere and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him with every fiber of her being. With all her heart.

They'll never know.

High school is all about appearances after all.

They'll never know what chemistry/book nerd Shiro and popular girl/cheerleader Allura do when they're alone.

They'll never know.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Done!

Gah! It feels like forever since I've written a one-shot oozing with pure fluff. I listened to a lot of Japanese Future Funk mixtapes on youtube while typing this story up. KISS KISS FALL IN LOVE!

I _live_ for puns and cheesy pick-up lines. Originally I wanted to include the other paladins like Lance being on the swim team, Keith on the soccer team, Pidge in computer science, and Hunk in home ec but it just didn't fit anywhere so I only focused on the Shallura feels this time around. Maybe I'll revisit a high school au sometime in the future, who knows!

AAAnnnndd now I'll tumble away back to my current on-going Shallura fic.

Remember to R&R! Plz & Thankies! :]

I don't own Princess Allura or Takashi 'Shiro' Shirogane and all other characters mentioned/used in this fic – Voltron Legendary Defender is owned by DreamWorks/Netflix.

I just own this idea based on a fan art/prompt I saw by _**millennium-queen**_ over on Tumblr.


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